A GoO scheme for green hydrogen?

The CertifHy project kicks off laying the ground for a pan-European scheme that will enhance the use of hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources for transport applications

Any public policy needs measuring tools that allow checking in real time what, how and when a given fact happens. In the electricity sector, without specific measurement tools it would not be possible to know whether a given electron was produced using clean sources or fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. In order to make it possible to track the electricity produced from renewable energy sources (RES), the European Union introduced Guarantees of Origin (GoO), i.e. electronic certificates issued for disclosure and transparency purposes, proving the origin of electricity produced using RES. The 2009/28/EC directive on Renewable Energy requires all Member States to establish a national registry of GoOs, which are transferable via a hub run by the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB) and can be used and exchanged in any member state of the European Economic Area (EU-28 plus Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) that has implemented a national registry. The purpose of the scheme is to promote and increase the contribution of RES to electricity production across the EU, providing a common platform to facilitate the trade of renewable electricity among Member States.

As the European Union continues its journey towards the decarburization of its economy, the transport sector appears to be increasingly relevant to achieve the long-term emission reduction targets. Like electricity, hydrogen is a commodity that can be produced in various ways; like green electricity, green hydrogen is produced through clean energy sources and is set to play a key role in the energy transition happening worldwide. Within this framework, a GoO scheme for green hydrogen can accelerate its cost effective development and market uptake.

The CertifHy project was recently launched to lay the ground for the future adoption of a GoO scheme on green hydrogen at European level. The project is structured around seven work packages and three main streams of activity, each managed by a different partner: defining a widely acceptable definition of green hydrogen; designing a robust GoO scheme for green hydrogen; and proposing a roadmap to implement the initiative throughout the EU.

Please visit the Certifhy website if you want to learn more.